I'm pretty much a rank beginner on the recorder. I got one of Yamaha's party colored sopranos when my kids came home from camp with Lyons recorders. I figured that if they had one "just like Dad's", this might stick with them. As it turns out, I get along with the recorder a lot better than they did, and I'm looking to switch to an alto.

This is going to be a fun, take anywhere, personal enjoyment instrument. I already have 30 years on the trombone, and I'm not looking for another concert quality instrument to double on.

Here's what I need:Needs to be for an intermediate player. Needs to be durable, hence resin. The bulk of my personal collection of music is stage and screen. Mostly vocal scores (Cats, Less Mis, and the usual standards). The rest is a mix of Swing and Klezmer. So I need something that sounds good playing pieces originally meant for singing.My budget's $40-$50. USD depending on what comes with the recorder.

I'm a little late to the game here, but I own the Ecodears and the Aulos higher end series (I also used to own the higher end Yamaha ABS ones, but gave that to my daughter who needed a set for teaching). I find that the Ecodears sound sweeter, closer to the sound of wood than the Aulos. I can also tell the difference in how the material vibrates when I blow. ABS gives a more pronounced, hollow vibration that is more discernible than the vibration on the Ecodear. Given a choice, I would go for the Ecodear. It's sweet in the upper range, but you do have to control it, and it needs a tighter embouchure to play the high notes cleanly.

However, you can get one of the less expensive Mollenhauer Dream recorders for about $50. They have a plastic mouthpiece but a wax-impregnated body that is easy to care for. I actually own the plum wood soprano Dream, and am saving up to get the alto. I've played so many different recorders, but I certainly have my favorites. But for a beginner, I would recommend a Yamaha Ecodear or the Mollenhauer Dream.

I got the Yamaha 312B some time back. It's my first alto recorder, so I can't compare it to others, and I'm not very good and don't play it that often (IOW, don't expect my opinion to be based on having put it through its paces rigorously), but I like it. I chose it because I read a lot of reviews, and it seemed to come out on top. 302B/312B/314B are all the same instrument, just different looks. The faux wood grain of the 312 and 314 are a bit hokey to me, but in reading reviews I'd read that some people think the coating gives them a slightly better sound-- probably not true, but I went for it anyway. (Never having been a fan of the black/brown-and-white look anyway, the aesthetics didn't matter to me that much.)

I suppose LowBrass has a recorder now, but for future reference: The Yamaha 3xx alto didn't work for me because it constantly clogged, and discussions in the German recorder forum showed that I'm not alone with the problem. I then bought the Aulos 509b "Symphony" which I played happily for two years before upgrading to a wooden one at 10x the price (I had lower priced ones on approval, but they just weren't a big enough improvement to be worth buying).